School leadership
2.1. Leadership standards and roles
2.2. Selection and working conditions
2.3. Leadership preparation and training
3. Teachers, parents and students
3.1. School management committees and boards
4.1. Autonomy of school leaders
4.2. Assessment and accountability of school leaders
4.3. Teacher assessment by school leaders
1. Terminology
Order nº 21/GMEJCD/13 establishes the profile of the “director of an educational establishment”. The 2017-2025 Education Sector Program also uses the term “school directors”.
2. School principals
2.1. Leadership standards and roles
Competency standards and leadership frameworks and guidelines
Order nº 21/GMEJCD/13 is a comprehensive document establishing the profile of a school director. It defines the school directors as “a professional who is responsible for the direction, administration, supervision and coordination of education and the driving force behind the entire process of qualitative transformation within the educational establishment under his jurisdiction”. Therefore, it states that in order to be successful, school directors shall have some specific traits, namely: leadership capacity; socialization skills; dynamism; perseverance; good verbal and abstract reasoning; flexibility and efficiency. In addition, it specifies specific duties and defines the criteria guiding the selection process of school directors.
Roles
Setting expectations/objectives: According to Order nº 21/GMEJCD/13, school directors shall develop management processes and practices to improve the school's performance, regarding the learning of all students. They shall monitor result indicators regarding achievement, attendance and performance of students in internal and external assessments. In addition, they shall analyse the indicators and use them to make decisions that lead to the continuous improvement of the educational project, the definition of priorities and the establishment of goals articulated with the country's educational policy. It is also mentioned that school directors must present and analyse the indicators with the main actors of the school's educational process, aiming to build a collective vision of the result of the work carried out and the projection of improvement (article C.1).
Developing teaching and learning: Order nº 21/GMEJCD/13 establishes that school directors shall lead and ensure the implementation of the curriculum, monitoring its effective development at the different levels, cycles, modalities, areas and disciplines of education; carry out inclusive pedagogical practices and actions; monitor students learning, stimulating the adoption of innovative and differentiated practices; optimize collective work spaces to enrich teaching practice and develop continuous training actions; amongst others (article 3).
Promoting collaboration: Community participation in schools is facilitated through school management committees, which includes school directors as members. Directors also work to develop and maintain collaborative actions among all members of the school and the educational community. Order nº 21/GMEJCD/13 establishes that school directors shall "present and analyze the indicators with the main actors of the school's educational process [including parents] aiming to build a collective view of the result of the work carried out and the projection of improvements" (article C.1.d).
Supporting staff development: According to Order nº 21/GMEJCD/13, school directors shall “promote and define actions for continuous and in-service training of the school's educational agents" (article D. 9).
Acting in accordance with the ethical principles of the profession: No information was found.
2.2. Selection and working conditions
Degree requirements and prior teaching experience
Order nº 21/GMEJCD/13 establishes the degree and prior teaching experience required to become a director, according to the different levels of education.
1. Basic education establishment (1st and 2nd cycles): a) Have a diploma of pedagogical training conferred by ENAC; b) Have a diploma/certificate of completion of secondary education or equivalent and more than five (5) consecutive years of effective exercise of teaching functions; c) Has not suffered any type of serious disciplinary sanction throughout his/her career; d) No effective criminal sanction has been imposed on him/her.
2. Basic Education Establishment (3rd cycle): a) Have a diploma of pedagogical training conferred by ENSTT; b) Have a pedagogical training diploma (11th or 12th year of schooling) conferred by ENAC, and more than five (5) consecutive years of effective exercise of teaching functions in the 3rd cycle of basic education; c) Have a Bachelor's degree or equivalent, in non-pedagogical scientific fields, and more than three (3) consecutive years of effective exercise of teaching functions, in the 3rd cycle of basic education or in secondary education; d) Has a diploma/certificate of completion of secondary education or equivalent and more than five (5) consecutive years of effective exercise of teaching functions in the 3rd cycle of basic education; e) Has not suffered any type of serious disciplinary sanction throughout his/her career; f) No effective criminal sanction has been imposed on him/her.
3. Secondary education establishment: a) Hold a PhD or Master's degree in Education Sciences; b) Have a Bachelor's degree in Education Sciences or equivalent, with some teaching experience at any level of education; c) Have a diploma of pedagogical training conferred by ENSTT or equivalent, and more than three (3) years of teaching in secondary education; d) Have a Bachelor's degree in non-pedagogical scientific areas, and more than three (3) consecutive years of effective exercise of teaching functions, in secondary education; e) Has not suffered any type of serious disciplinary sanction throughout his/her career; f) No effective criminal sanction has been imposed on him/her.
The 2011 Basic Law of the Guinean Educational System states that the career and remuneration status of educators, teachers and other educational professionals must be compatible with their respective qualifications and professional, cultural, and social responsibilities.
Appointment decision
The central governing body is responsible for the hiring and dismissal of all school staff, including school directors or managers. According to the SABER school autonomy and accountability country report on Guinea-Bissau, school directors are appointed through the civil service per the Public Administration Personnel Law (Estatuto Pessoal da Administração Publica). Directors are typically teachers who are nominated to serve in the role of director.
Employment equity measures
The 2011 Basic Law of the Guinean Educational System guarantees equal opportunities for both sexes. The 2017-2025 Education Sector Program calls for equity in higher education by establishing scholarships for deserving students from disadvantaged backgrounds. However, there are no specific laws mandating equity measures in the hiring process for school directors.
Working conditions
Teachers are considered civil servants, and their salaries are determined centrally by the Teaching Career Statute (2011), as amended in 2018, and the civil service pay scale. This law regulates the teaching profession by defining the rights and responsibilities, duties, career paths, disciplinary procedures, and retirement schemes for teaching personnel. Article 12 recognizes teachers’ right to collective bargaining.
2.3. Leadership preparation and training
Pre-service training
The 2011 Basic Law of the Guinean Educational System mandates initial training for all educators and teachers. The 2017-2025 Education Sector Program mentions the need to strengthen the initial training for educators. In particular, the program aims to define and implement standards related to initial training.
Induction and in-service training
The 2011 Basic Law of the Guinean Educational System mandates continuous training for teachers to complement and permanently update initial training. This training aims to constantly improve the level and performance of education professionals and enable their mobility and career progression. Time must be allocated for educators to attend these trainings. Additionally, article 9 of the Teaching Career Statute (2011), as amended in 2018, distinguishes between different modalities of training for teaching staff: initial training (to confer the qualification for the exercise of the function), specialized training (for the qualification of teachers to perform specialized educational functions) and continuous training (to qualify teaching staff and promote the efficiency and effectiveness of the education system).
3. Teachers, parents and students
3.1. School management committees and boards
The 2011 Basic Law of the Guinean Educational System states that “the administration of official educational establishments shall be guided by principals of democraticity, participation and rationality” (article 44).
According to the SABER school autonomy and accountability country report on Guinea-Bissau, community participation is highly encouraged and is a key part of the education system. Several models of school management committees have been piloted on a small scale, providing participation and voice in school operations. However, none of these current modalities have legal authority or participation rights in selecting personnel. The country report highlights two forms of school management bodies: comissões de gestão (school management commissions) and comités de gestão escolar (school management committees).
According to Dispatch No. 10/GM/02, Article 10, the school management commission consists of the school director, a financial officer, one teacher representative, one parent or guardian representative, and one student representative. Those who are elected have term limits. The commission has responsibilities related to non-salary budget items such as how funds may be spent on books and pedagogical materials.
The school management committees are formed to raise funds and manage school resources primarily at the primary school level. Members include the head of the village and/or their representative, the administrator or representative, the school director, a faculty representative, a school service staff member, two students (a boy and a girl), two parent association representatives, a culture and sporting association representative, and a religious authority. Members are elected with term limits. The management committees do have legal standing.
3.2. Middle leaders
Article 27 of the Teaching Career Statute (2011), as amended in 2018, establishes the multiple functions of teaching staff. Point 4 details some other specific functions, namely those related with the pedagogical coordination of the year, cycle or course; the management of training centres of school associations; and the coordination of curricular departments.
3.3. Parents
Article 45 in the 2011 Basic Law of the Guinean Educational System recognizes the importance of parent-teacher associations, stating that “associations of teachers, students, parents and guardians... are essential structures in the educational process and, as such, they participate in improving the educational system”. The 2017-2025 Education Sector Program calls for strengthening the role of parents in various school issues such as students repeating a year, late entry, the running of classes, monitoring attendance, and the management of resources made available to schools.
3.4. Students
Article 45 in the 2011 Basic Law of the Guinean Educational System mentions associations of students. However, there are no laws or policies which mandate or provide details about student organizations in schools. Some school management committees have student representatives as mentioned in section 3.1. At the national level, there is the Confederation of Student Associations of Guinea-Bissau.
4. Governance
4.1. Autonomy of school leaders
According to Order nº 21/GMEJCD/13, school directors must "lead and ensure the implementation of the curriculum, monitoring its effective development at the different levels, cycles, modalities, areas and disciplines of education". Therefore, regarding curricular organization, schools shall follow what is defined by the Ministry of Education.
Directors of public schools do not have hiring autonomy, since teaching staff are selected and contracted at the central level, namely through the General Directorate of Human Resources.
The SABER school autonomy and accountability country report on Guinea-Bissau states that “legal authority over operational funds is centralized”. Nevertheless, according to Order nº 21/GMEJCD/13, school directors can “seek alternatives for the creation and obtaining of resources, spaces and complementary materials to strengthen the educational project”, as well as “carry out participatory actions of planning and evaluation of the application of the school's financial resources, considering its priorities, ethical principles and accountability to the community” (article C.5).
4.2. Assessment and accountability of school leaders
The Teaching Career Statute (2011), as amended in 2018, states that career progression is determined by the evaluation of professional performance in the educational institution, as well as the pedagogical, scientific and professional qualifications. The SABER school autonomy and accountability country report on Guinea-Bissau states that school directors should be evaluated at the regional level by the educational directorate in conjunction with sectoral inspectors.
4.3. Teacher assessment by school leaders
The 2017-2025 Education Sector Program calls for the development of a system for evaluating the performance of teaching staff. The evaluation of teachers is defined in the Teaching Career Statute (2011), as amended in 2018. Articles 42 and 43 establish the modalities and criteria of the performance evaluation.
The evaluation of the performance of teaching staff comprises an internal and an external evaluation. The internal evaluation is carried out by a team formed at the level of the school and it aims to analyse the professional quality of the teacher in the scientific, pedagogical and organizational dimensions of the teaching function. The body of internal evaluators is composed of the school director, who presides, and the respective coordinators of the curricular area of the teacher being evaluated, as well as the president of the union, based on the school (article 67 of the Teaching Career Statute, as amended in 2018).
According to Order nº 21/GMEJCD/13, school directors shall “identify the methods and techniques for evaluating the work of the school teams (teachers, staff and administrative staff)” (article E.13).
The external evaluation is carried out by the structure of the Ministry of Education responsible for the inspection. It aims to analyse the professional quality of the teacher in the pedagogical dimension of the teaching function, through the observation of classes.
This profile was reviewed by Carla Maria Garcia Pinto, teacher, Master’s in Educational Administration and Management.
